I still remember the very first standing ovation that I received 26 years ago. I had spent three hours speaking to a group of 250 managers. I was surprised and elated. I had connected with my audience and moved them to stand and applaud. As a professional speaker, I have since received numerous standing ovations. Each one was a powerful form of recognition and appreciation for a job well done.
We all need standing ovations. We need the people in our lives to recognize and appreciate what we have done. We need people to say thank you. You have touched my life. But we also need to give standing ovations to the people in our lives — to say thank you to a spouse, a child and a friend. We need to develop an attitude of gratitude.
Most of us are not hermits, living alone, isolated from friends and family. We need the help of others — including people we have never met — from the person who assembled your cell phone to the farmer who provided the food on your table. Think how barren your life would be if there were not other people to fill it with laughter and hope.
Who in your life needs a standing ovation today? Reach out and touch their lives. Say thank you. Tell them how much they mean to you.
